Furniture spring deck and cushion assembly incorporating same

ABSTRACT

A spring deck for upholstered furniture consisting of a series of generally parallel configurated spring wires extending between and attached at their ends to a pair of generally parallel side strands, said side strands being adapted to be attached to opposite sides of a furniture frame with said spring wires in tension and partially straightened, and also certain novel combinations of said spring deck with other elements of a complete cushion assembly, such as the padding, cover sheet, and insulator layers thereof. The wire configurations may be disposed alternatively in the plane of the cushion for smoother, more even cushion support, or normally to the cushion plane to provide crowning of the cushion. Also, the wires may be alternatively disposed beneath the padding material of the cushion in supporting relationship thereto, or encapsulated within certain types of padding material.

United States Patent 1191 Arnold et al. 1451 Apr. 9, 1974 [54] FURNITURESPRING DECK AND CUSHION 3,142,073 7/1964 Stern 5/354 ASSEMBLYINCORPORATING SAME 3,537,752 11/1970 Kushnarov et a1 297/456 [75]Inventors: Harmon W. Arnold; Lloyd E.

Tieman, both of Carthage, Mo.

[52] US. Cl 5/354, 5/247, 5/260,

297/452, 297/456 [51] Int. Cl. A47c 23/00 [58] Field of Search 5/354,191, 237, 247, 241, 5/26(); 297/456, 452, 457

Primary ExaminerB0bby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Darrell Marquette [5 7]ABSTRACT A spring deck for upholstered furniture consisting of a seriesof generally parallel configurated spring wires extending between andattached at their ends to a pair of generally parallel side strands,said side strands being adapted to be attached to opposite sides of afurniture frame with said spring wires in tension and partiallystraightened, and also certain novel combinations of said spring deckwith other elements of a com- [56] ,References Cit d plete cushionassembly, such as the padding, cover UNITED STATES PATENTS sheet, andinsulator layers thereof. The wire configu- 3 716 271 2H9, Kurz 5/1 14rations may be disposed alternatively in the plane of 460 712 10/1891Bum12111IIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIII 5/231 cushm even 9 9 3,3273332 6/1967Richardson et al... 5 354 of the cushlon Plane to Provlde cmwmhg2,393,349 1/1946 Weingarten 5/247 of the eushleh- Also, the Wires may healternatively 3,634,896 1/1972 Platt et al. 5/354 disposed beneath thePadding material of the Cushion 3,098,244 7/1963 Rothbauer 5/247 insupporting relationship thereto, or encapsulated 2,708,757 5/1955Bellgrau.. 5/260 within-certain types of padding material. 2,779,0361/1957 Platt 5/354 I 3,610,688 10/1971 Arnold et al 5/354 1 Claim, 9Drawing Figures PATENIEDAPR 91914 SHEET 2 [IF 3 FURNITURE SPRING DECKAND CUSHION ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING SAME SPECIFICATION This inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in spring decks for upholsteredseating, such as are used in automotive vehicles and furniture, and has'as its principal object the provision of a deck assembly wherein asingle set of wires extending in generally parallel relation across aseating frame serve the double function both of supporting the paddinglayers of the cushion, and also of providing the yieldable spring actionof the cushion.

Another object is the provision of a cushion assembly incorporating aspring deck of the character described, and involving novelrelationships of the deck to other elements of the cushion, for examplein that a padding layer laid over the deck, if said deck presents anirregular surface, is conformed to the deck by a tensioned cover sheet,or in that the deck wire configurations may be reinforced, permittingthe use of lighter gauge and hence less expensive wire, by encapsulatingthe deck directly within a moldable padding material.

A further object is the provision of a spring deck of the characterdescribedwherein alternative formations of said wires, and variations intheir connections to the frame, will provide either flat cushions, orcushions with surfaces crowned in both directions, all without necessityof using crowned or otherwise specially formed padding material.

A still further object is the provision of a cushion assembly of thecharacter described in which the wire deck and padding layers may bepre-fabricated and furnished to furniture manufacturers as completeunits requiring only simplefasteners, and no special tools, for themounting thereof in the frames produced by the manufacturer.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, and efficiencyand dependability of operation.

With these objects in view as well as other objects which will appear inthe course of the specification, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawing,

wherein:

FIG. I is a vertical sectional view of a spring deck and cushionassembly embodying the present invention, taken on line I-lof FIG. 2,

FIG. 2 is a top plan viewof the assemblyshown in FIG. 1, with the coverand padding layers omitted,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of an edge portion ofthe spring. deck only, taken on line III-III of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentaryview similar to FIG. 2, showing structuralmodifications as to the configuration of the wires, their attachment tothe frame, and the frame itself,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line V-V ofFIG. 4, partially broken away and foreshortened, a I 1 FIG. 6 is a viewsimilar to FIG. 5, but including the padding-and cover layers, and withthe wires encapsulated in the padding,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2, showing furthermodification as to wire configuration and attachment to the frame,

FIG. 8 isan enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line VIII-VIIIof FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing still another modificationof wire configuration.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the severalviews, and the numeral 2 applies generally to a cushion frame for use infurniture. Said frame is open, and generally planar. It may have manydifferent general configurations in its plane, depending on thefurniture in which it is to be used, or of which it forms an intrinsicpart, but for convenience, it is illustrated as being rectangular. InFIGS. 1,2, and 7-9, the frame is wooden, including a front rail 4, rearrail 6, and side rails 8, all rigidly connected to form a unitarystructure, while in FIGS. 4-6 the frame is formed of tubular metal,having front, rear, and side rails corresponding to those of FIGS. 1-2and indicated by corresponding primed numerals.

The spring deck assembly is indicated generally by the numeral 10, andcomprises a pair of side strands l2 which are generally parallel andwhich respectively overlie front and rear frame rails 4 and 6, and aseries of generally parallel spring steel cross wires 14 extendingbetween said side strands in closely spaced apart relation and securedat their ends to said side strands. In

some cases, as will appear, the deck assembly may also Wires 18 aresubstantially heavier and stiffer than each of wires 14.

Cross wires 14 are not straight, but asshown are bent or configurated tobe non-straight so that the effective length of each wire may beelastically extended by tension exerted thereon. The configurations ofeach wire may lie substantially in a single plane, either normal to thegeneral cushion plane as in FIGS. 1-2, or lying in n or parallel to thegeneral cushion plane as in FIGS. 4-6, or the configurations may takethe form of helical coils, as in FIGS. 7-9,.the helical coils extendingeither the full distance'between side strands 12, as in FIG. 7, or alongonly selected portions of the lengths of wires 14, as in FIG. 9, forelective'functional reasons to be discussed below. .If normal to thedeck plane, as best shown in FIG. 1, the configurations may be arrangedto dispose the central portions of the cross wires somewhat above thelevel of the frame, in order to provide an upward bulging or crowning ofthe padding material 22 disposed thereover. If the configurations lie inor parallel to the cushion plane, as in FIGS. 4-6, they provide asmoother, more even support for the padding. The helical configurationsof FIGS. 7-9 provide for generally easier extension of the wires, forproviding a softer, more deeply yielding cushion, whenever this may bedesired. Aside from these considerations, the specific formation of thewire configurations is not particularly'critical, and may take manydifferent shapes, except of course, that they must permit the desireddegree of downward yielding or saggingwhen the wires are subjected tostraightening by tension" exerted thereon by the top loading of thecushion. Each end of each wire 14 is affixed to the associated sidestrand 12 in any suitable manner, the manner actually shown consistingof twisting said wire tightly around the sheath of said side strand, inindenting relationship to said sheath, and then twisting it about itselfto form a knot 24, as best shown in FIG. 3. Intermediate strands 16, ifused, may be formed of twisted paper or other soft material, and piercedby each of cross wires 14.

Side strands 12 are attached respectively to front and rear frame rails4 and 6 by any suitable means. For example, as shown, if the frame iswooden as in FIGS. 1 and 2, there may be provided a series of fasteners26 affixed to each frame rail, as by nails 28 or otherwise, eachincluding a hook member 30 opening away from deck assembly 10, andadapted to be engaged about the associated side strand 12.Alternatively, side strands 12 can be very simply secured to the framerails by ordinary staples 31, as shown in FIGS. 7-9. If the frame is oftubular metal, as in FIGS. 4-6, each fastener 26 may consist of a metalstrap ha fing one end airah'tfiasr rebent to form a hook 32corresponding to hook 30, and its opposite end portion bent intogenerally semicylindrical form to partially encircle the frame rail, atthe outer side thereof,the extreme freeend portion of the lattersemi-cylindrical portion being bent sharply inwardly to form a tooth 34engaged in a slot 36 formed thereforin the wall of the frametube. Theuse o f sheaths 20 on the side strands, and of intermediate strands 16,of soft, non-metallic material, eliminates all metal-tometal contact inthe assembly, and thereby prevents any rubbing or grating wire noiseswhich otherwise would occur. It will-be understood that theconfigurations of spring cross wires 14 are such that when said wiresare completely relaxed and free of tension, they position side strandsl2 closer together than they will be when attached to by the oppositeframe rails. Thus, in mounting the deck assembly in the frame, sidestrands 12 must be pulled farther apart, thereby tensioning andpartially straightening cross wires 14. This pretensions the deck sothat it provides a degree of stiffness or resistance to downwarddeflection of the deck. By proper selection of the initial width of thedeck as compared to the width to which it must be extended to mount itin the frame, and of the number, spacing and weight of cross wires 14,any desired degree of pre-tensioning can be provided. Core wires 18 ofthe side strands permit hooks 30 or 32 to be spaced widely apart, andhence require fewer hooks, since the stiffness of the side strandssupplied thereby transfers the stresses of several adjacent cross wires14 to a single hook, without appreciable flexure of the side strands.

In FIG. I, there is shown an insulator sheet 38, which may be of clothor other flexible material, applied directly over deck assembly 10, theedges of said sheet being brought down around frame 2 and securedthereto by nails 40, or by staples or any other suitable fasteners. Thepadding 22 may consist of a thick planar slab of foamed resilientmaterial. such as rubber, polyeurethane, or the like, applied overinsulator sheet 38. The cushion is then finished by applying a coversheet 42 over padding 22, pulling said cover sheet down around the edgesof the padding and frame, and securing it to said frame by nails 44, orby staples or any other suitable fasteners. The cover sheet shapes thetop surface of the padding into a smooth even appearance, while thelower surface of the padding is forced into conformity with the decksurface defined by cross wires 14. While in FIG. 1 this deck surface isuneven, as a result of the configurating of wires 14 normally to thecushion plane, it has been found that so long as the wire configurationsare rather gentle, as shown, and not too sharp, they will not cause anyunevenness of the top padding surface which cannot be controlled by topcover sheet 42, and therefore that no special shaping of the lowerpadding surface to conform to the deck contour is required, although thepadding could of course be so shaped if desired. If wires 14 areconfigurated in the plane of the cushion, as in FIGS. 4-6, this problemdoes not occur. Wires 14 are spaced sufficiently close together to forman adequately smooth and continuous support for the padding, to preventit from working down into the spaces between the wires, and from beingcut by the wires with most types of foam padding. However, with paddingmaterials of less strength, and particularly when the wires areconfigurated normally to the cushion plane as in FIG. 1, so as to formupwardly projecting humps," there may still be a ten- 20 dency for thewires to cut into or damage the padding. Insulator sheet 38 largelyprevents any such damage. Most foam type padding materials presently inuse do not require the use of an insulator sheet. In such cases, theinsulator sheet could be dispensed with. Intermediate strands 16 serveto maintain a uniform spacing between wires 14 along their entirelengths. Again, these strands are particularly important when the wiresare configurated normally to the cushion plane, since without thesestrands, the upward humps of the wires would tend to tilt or twistlaterally.

In FIG. 6, the padding material is indicated at 22, and also consists ofa generally planar slab of foam padding material, but in this case theentire spring deck assembly 10, with the exception of side strands 12and knots 24 of wires 14, is permanently embedded or encapsulated in thelower portion of the padding slab, as shown, as for example by a moldingprocess. Said side strands and wire knots are accommodated in recesses16 formed therefor in the bottom of the padding slab,

in order to provide access to said side strands for engaging them inhooks 32. In some cases, it may be desirable to mount spring deck 10 inframe 2 before encapsulation, and then to encapsulate or mold both thedeck and the frame in the padding material. This type of constructionwould adapt the structure for use with self-skinning" padding materials,which when molded form a skin of sufficient toughness and durabilitythat cover sheet 42 could be dispensed with. While the wires 14 in FIG.6 are configurated in the plane of the cushion, the normallyconfigurated wires of FIG. 1 may be similarly encapsulated if desired.The helically configurated wires at FIGS. 7-9 may also have padding laidthereover as in FIG. 1, or may be encapsulated in the padding asin FIG.6. The advantages of the encapsulation as shown are that it permitspre-fabrication of a still greater proportion of the entire cushionstructure, so asto require fewer operations at the time of finalinstallation, that wires 14 are thereby protected against atmosphericcorrosion, and that the bends of wires 14 are reinforced againststraightening by the padding material itself when encapsulated therein.This permits the use of a lighter gauge and hence less expensive wire.Also, the padding material preserves the spacing of the wires, so thatintermediate strands 16 may be dispensed with. To minimize possibleinternal cutting or other damage to the padding by the wires, it ispreferable that side strands 12 be separated to the approximate spacingthey will eventually have in frame 2, and maintained at that spacingwhile the padding material is molded around wires 14.

As shown in FIG. 6, the padding slab 22' may be formed with a dependingskirt 48 around the edges thereof, said skirt being disposed outwardlyfrom but in close proximity to frame 2, whereby to form a softedge"cushion. The cover sheet 42 disposed over the padding is drawndownwardly around the sides of the padding and under skirt 48 thereof,and secured to the frame in any suitable manner. When the frame ismetallic, as in FIG. 6, the cover sheet may be secured thereto, forexample, by engaging it on sharp barbs 50 (one shown) affixed to theinner side of said frame at spaced intervals therealong. Padding slabswith skirts 48 may also be used in combination with wooden frames asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It is considered that the operation of the spring deck and cushionassembly has been fully described in con nection with the description ofits construction set forth above. It will be seen to possess numerousadvantages. It is extremely simple and economical in construction. Whenthe deck is pre-fabricated without the frame, as

would usually be the case, it may be applied to pre-' existing furnitureframes very rapidly and conveniently even by unskilled labor, requiringno special tools and no fitting or adjusting. Cross wires 14, in and ofthemselves, perform the dual functions both of providing the solesupport for the padding material, and also, by reason of the transverseconfigurations thereof, of providing the resilient yieldability desired.There are comparative advantages of using either the in-plane"configurations of FIGS. l-2. With the in-plane configurations of FIGS.4-6, wires 14 provide a smoother, more even support for the paddingmaterial so that there is no need for substantial tensioning of coversheet 42 to maintain the top of the padding smooth. The in-planeconfigurations do not, however, lend themselves to use in crownedcushions, since deck assembly of course tends to assume a planarconfiguration. The crowning could still be achieved, of course, by theuse of crowned slabs of padding material, but such crowned padding slabsrequire special molding, and would increase the cost of the structure.The normal configurations of the wires as shown in FIGS. l2, on theother hand, provide crowning of the cushion without the use of crownedpadding material slabs, permitting'the padding slabs to be economicallycut from continuous sheets of uniform thickness, since they can easilybe made to provide a deck the central portion of which is disposedhigher than its edge portions. The normal configurations are also easierto form on automatic rnachinery, though this of course is merely amanufacturing advantage. The helical configurations of FIGS. 7-9

provide operation much the same as that of the inplane configurations ofFIGS. 4-6, except that as previously mentioned, they provide a generallysofter, more yieldable cushion, and except that they are perhaps not aswell adapted to be encapsulated in the padding, since they have agreater tendency to damage the padding internally.

Moreover, the cushion crowning provided by the normal configurations maybe provided transversely to cross wires 14, as'well as parallel to saidwires, crowning in the latter direction being shown in- FIG. 1. Crowningin a direction transverse to thewires could be achieved by speciallyco'nfigurating the wires so that the upward offset of the centralportions of the wires is greatest in a zone midway between side framerails 8 or 8', with said upward offset being gradually reduced in wiressuccessively closer to said siderails. Side strands 12 could then bestraight as shown, when secured to the front and rear rails. However,the production of wires with such finely graduated variations ofconfiguration would be a complicated, tedious, and expensive operation.The transverse crowning might preferably be accomplished by arrangingstrands 12, or the hooks in which they are engaged, in curved ratherthan straight lines, the hooks carried respectively by front rail 4 andrear rail 6 being arranged in lines curved convexly toward each other,so that strands 12 are closer together midway between said side railsthan they are adjacent said side rails. In this manner, wires 14 may allbe identically configurated, but their upward projection from the framewill be less adjacent side rails 8 than midway between said side rails,since the wires adjacent the side rails are extended to a greater lengthand therefore straightened to a greater degree than the wires midwaybetween the. side rails. The curvature of side strands 12 may beachieved by curving the frame rails 4 and 6, or by nailing the fasteners26 of FIGS. l-2 to said frame rails in curved rather than straightlines. However, probably the most effective method, whether the frame iswooden or metallic, is to provide fasteners 26 or 26' in which the hookportions 30 or 32 thereof are of different lengths whereby to projectinwardly differe'nt distances from the associated frame rails. Anothermeans of providing 7 crowning of the cushion transversely to wires 14 isto make frame 2 non-planar, arching front and rear rails 4 and 6convexly upwardly toward the top of the cushion, so that the cushionsurface is higher midway between side rails 8 than directly adjacentsaid side rails. This arching of the frame may of course be accomplishedmost easily when the frame is formed of tubular metal. When the cushionis used in a chair back, with wires 14 extending from side to side, thisframe curvature may also be used to shape the a cushion specially toprovide added support for the lumbar portion of the users back, and thelike.

Finally, while frame rails 4 and 6 have for convenience been describedas front and rear rails, thereby inferring that the structure shown is aseat cushion, and that wires 14 extend from front to rear across theseat, it is to be clearly understood that the cushion assembly shown isequally adapted for use either as a seat or back cushion, and that wires14 may extendeither from front to rear. or from side to side across aseat cushion, and either from side to side or from top to bottom acrossa back cushion.

While we have shown and described certain specific embodiments of ourinvention, it will be readily apparent that many'minor changes ofstructure and operation could be made without departing from the spiritof the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to .protect by Letters Patent is: v Q

1. A cushion assembly for use in upholstered fumiture comprising: i

a..a generally rigid, generally planar open furniture frame including apair of generally parallel, spaced apart opposite rails,

b. a continuous series of closely spaced, generally parallel springwires extending across said 'frame' generally at right angles to saidopposite frame rails to form a spring deck, each of said wires beingtransversely configurated to'be non-straight,

. fastening means connecting the opposite ends of each of said wiresrespectively to said opposite frame rails, said fastening meanscomprising a pair of resilient side strands extending generallytransversely to said wires and to which the opposite ends of each ofsaid wires are attached, each of said side strands consisting of aresilient core wire having a sheath of soft, non-metallic material, andhook members fixed to each of said frame rails at the tops thereof andengaged about the adjacent side strand, said side strand beingoscillatable about its axis in said hooks whenever said wires are flexedby top loading of the spring deck, said spring wires d. padding materialdisposed over and supported by said spring deck.

1. A cushion assembly for use in upholstered furniture comprising: a. agenerally rigid, generally planar open furniture frame including a pairof generally parallel, spaced apart opposite rails, b. a continuousseries of closely spaced, generally parallel spring wires extendingacross said frame generally at right angles to said opposite frame railsto form a spring deck, each of said wires being transverselyconfigurated to be nonstraight, c. fastening means connecting theopposite ends of each of said wires respectively to said opposite framerails, said fastening means comprising a pair of resilient side strandsextending generally transversely to said wires and to which the oppositeends of each of said wires are attached, each of said side strandsconsisting of a resilient core wire having a sheath of soft,non-metallic material, and hook members fixed to each of said framerails at the tops thereof and engaged about the adjacent side strand,said side strand being oscillatable about its axis in said hookswhenever said wires are flexed by top loading of the spring deck, saidspring wires and said hooks engaging only the sheaths of said sidestrands, whereby metalto-metal contact is eliminated, the distancebetween said side strands, when said wires are relaxed, being less thanthe distance between corresponding hooks carried by said opposite framerails whereby said wires must be longitudinally tensioned and partiallystraightened for engagement of said side strands in said hooks, saidhooks opening from said side strands in a direction opposite to thedirection of extension of said wires from said side strands, and d.padding maTerial disposed over and supported by said spring deck.